Better Call Saul is an American crime drama television series created by Vince Gilligan and Peter
Gould. It is a spin-off, prequel, and a sequel to Gilligan's previous series, Breaking Bad. Set primarily
in the early to middle part of the 2000s in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the series develops Jimmy
McGill (Bob Odenkirk), an earnest lawyer and former con artist, into an egocentric criminal defense
attorney known as Saul Goodman. Also shown is the moral decline of retired police officer Mike
Ehrmantraut (Jonathan Banks), who becomes closely affiliated with the Juarez drug cartel to support
his granddaughter and her widowed mother. These two storylines are mostly told separately but do
converge when Jimmy and Mike work together. The show premiered on AMC on February 8, 2015,
and the sixth and final season, consisting of 13 episodes, premiered on April 18, 2022.
At the start of the series, Jimmy struggles financially while working as a court-appointed lawyer. He
lives in the back room of a nail salon which doubles as an office. His romantic interest and former
colleague, Kim Wexler (Rhea Seehorn), is an attorney at Hamlin, Hamlin & McGill (HHM), a law firm
co-owned by Jimmy's brilliant but unwell brother, Chuck McGill (Michael McKean) and proud
associate, Howard Hamlin (Patrick Fabian). After hiring Jimmy as legal representation, Mike
provides advice and security for Nacho Varga (Michael Mando), an intelligent drug dealer who later
becomes a mole for Gus Fring (Giancarlo Esposito), a drug lord and legitimate businessman. Their
operations are disrupted by members of the murderous Salamanca family, including Lalo
Salamanca (Tony Dalton). Odenkirk, Banks, and Esposito reprise their roles from Breaking Bad, as
do many others who make guest appearances.
Better Call Saul has received critical acclaim, with particular praise for its acting, characters, writing,
direction, and cinematography; many critics have called it a worthy successor to Breaking Bad and
one of the greatest television series of all time, with some deeming it superior to its
predecessor.[5][6][7] It has garnered many nominations, including a Peabody Award, 39 Primetime
Emmy Awards, 15 Writers Guild of America Awards, 14 Critics' Choice Television Awards,
six Screen Actors Guild Awards, and four Golden Globe Awards. At the time of its airing, the series
premiere held the record for the highest-rated scripted series premiere in basic cable history.